Toxic Waste Short Circuits Bubble Gum Recall Due to Lead Levels

A recall has been issued for Toxic Waste brand Short Circuit Bubble Gum due to high amounts of lead contained in the product, continuing a string of recalls issued by the manufacturer this year over lead concerns. 

The Toxic Waste Short Circuits Bubble Gum recall was announced on March 26 for one lot of the product made by Candy Dynamics. The recall came after the FDA tested the gum and found it had elevated lead levels of 0.189 parts per million (ppm); nearly twice the regulatory limit of 0.1 ppm for lead.

The bubble gum recall affects Toxic Waste Short Circuits Bubble Gum in the 3.2 oz size, with Lot #15070SC12. The candy was distributed nationwide from January 4, 2011, until March 18. It has a UPC of 0 89894 31001 3.

In January, Candy Dynamics issued a recall for all of its Toxic Waste brand Nuclear Sludge chew bars due to elevated lead levels, which were as high as 0.24 ppm. Later that month, the Nuclear Sludge recall was expanded to include everything under the Nuclear Sludge label, including both chew bars and candy pieces, after testing found other products with lead levels as high as .311 ppm. The company canceled that candy line.

Currently, Candy Dynamics says it intends to continue selling Short Circuits Bubble Gum, and the recall is limited to just the one lot that was detected as having high lead levels.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) consider 10 milligrams of lead per deciliter of blood to be the level of concern for exposure to lead. The CDC estimates that approximately 250,000 children in the U.S. have blood lead levels that high or higher.

Lead poisoning can result in nervous system injury, brain damage, seizures or convulsions, growth or mental retardation, coma and even death for young children. 

While high levels of lead exposure are often the focus of scientists, recent research has highlighted the effects of even low levels of exposure to lead on children. Other studies have tied low lead exposure to the development of kidney damage and depression and panic disorders.